A total lunar eclipse is happening early Friday morning. If clouds hold off, it should be visible in Indianapolis.
In April 2024, the solar eclipse garnered a lot of attention in Indianapolis. A lunar eclipse is not as rare of an event to see as the once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse, but it is still worth looking for in the night time sky, if you happen to be awake.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth, and moon are in alignment. As the moon passes through Earth's shadow, the moon will appear to change colors, and it will look red during the totality.
Total lunar eclipses are sometimes referred to as "blood moons" because of this red appearance.
"That red color is from light that's refracting through the Earth's atmosphere from the dayside, and only the red portion of the rainbow will illuminate the moon," explained Dr. Shaw. "So the moon ends up looking red."
Unlike the solar eclipse, you won't need any special glasses or equipment to safely view the lunar eclipse, as you won't be looking directly at any sunlight. Instead, you'll be looking at the light that is reflected off the moon, similar to looking at the moon on any other night.
Partial lunar eclipses are more common, when a portion of the moon passes through Earth's shadow. This year, we will see the entirety of the moon pass through the shadow, giving it the "total" eclipse designation.
Sometimes, eclipses occur without us realizing, because the moon is below the horizon line. Friday's eclipse is above the horizon in Indianapolis, meaning it should be visible.
Another lunar eclipse will occur in 2026, but it will be below the horizon, so it will not be visible.
This still doesn't compare to how rare the solar eclipse was in 2024.
Dr. Aarran Shaw is the director of the Holcomb Observatory and Planetarium at Butler University.
"You can see a lunar eclipse anywhere on the night side of the Earth," said Dr. Shaw. "You can only see a total solar eclipse if you're in that hundred mile wide shadow, like we were in Indy last year."
This week's eclipse will line up with the full moon phase for March. This month's full moon is referred to as the "Worm Moon." Each month's full moon is given a nickname that typically relates to the current time of year or season.
What else do you need to know before viewing? Totality for a lunar eclipse lasts longer than a solar eclipse (you might remember from April 2024 that totality only lasted a few minutes).
"Everything in space is constantly in motion," explained Dr. Shaw. "It is all just about this perfect balance, this perfect alignment of the cosmic bodies."
The maximum eclipse occurs around 3 a.m., so it may be a bit disruptive to your sleep schedule to view it.
"That perfect alignment is going to happen early in the morning," continued Dr. Shaw.
The moon will be partially eclipsed from around 1 a.m. all the way through 4:45 a.m., but the best viewing will come during the totality from 2:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m.
Beyond the early morning timing, another issue for viewing could be our cloud cover. The forecast looks like a few rain showers are possible Thursday overnight, which would also bring a bit of cloud cover.
As rain ends early Friday and clouds try to clear, there is still some hope that we can see up to the moon.
"You'll be treated to a really nice show," concluded Dr. Shaw. "You could just pop your head out the window, at like 3 a.m., and it'll still be happening, and then you can go back to sleep."
